Credit card digits: Understanding numbers on a credit card front and back Credit card digits: Understanding numbers on a credit card front and back What are those numbers on my credit card? Those 16 digits all have meaning. Tweet No matter what credit card you carry in your wallet (or the variety of credit cards you keep on hand for various purchases), it shares some physical characteristics with the cards used by consumers across the U.S. The common features of the many, many different credit cards in circulation are their size and the appearance of a number emblazoned across the front. Credit cards have a similar size to one another because of an organization known as the ISO. The ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, is the standard-setting body of international representatives that produces global commercial and industrial standards. The ISO establishes standards for the size of credit cards and other ID cards, as well as determining what cards are made of and ensuring their standards are ideal for a wide array of uses. The ISO is the reason your credit cards are made of PVC and are generally the same size across the board, which allows for easier processing and recognition. It ensures that your credit cards remain standardized. Credit cards also share a common numbering scheme.

A credit card number contains a single-digit major industry identifier (MII), a six-digit issuer identifier number (IIN), an account number and a single-digit checksum. The Major Industry Identifier number corresponds to the issuer category. For example, a "1" denotes airlines, "2" airlines and other industry assignments, "3" travel and entertainment, "4" banking and financial, etc. American Express would fall into the travel and entertainment category, while Visa, MasterCard and Discover are in the banking and financial category. The first six digits of the credit card number (including the initial MII digit) make up the issuer identifier, which denotes the credit card network to which the number belongs. Some of the better-known issuer identifiers include: American Express -- 34xxxx and 37xxxx Visa -- 4xxxxx MasterCard -- 51xxxx-55xxxx Discover -- 6011xx The maximum length of a credit card number is 19 digits, with the maximum length of the account number field being 12 digits (initial six-digit issuer identifier minus the final digit check number). Each issuer has 1 trillion possible account numbers. The final digit of your credit card number is a check digit, similar to a checksum.

The algorithm used to arrive at the correct digit is called the Luhn algorithm , after IBM scientist Peter Luhn. The check digit is used to confirm the initial digits of the card number. The benefits of using a checksum is that it prevents casual attempts to invent credit card numbers, as only one in ten will be valid. Additionally, it serves to prevent mistakes when the credit card number is manually recorded. Credit cards also feature issue and expiration dates, as well as extra codes such as issue numbers and security codes. However, not all credit cards have the same sets of extra codes used to identify that the card is authentic. ADVERTISEMENT Join the discussion We encourage an active and insightful conversation among our users. Please help us keep our community civil and respectful. For your safety, do not disclose confidential or personal information such as bank account numbers or social security numbers. Anything you post may be disclosed, published, transmitted or reused. If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below. The editorial content on CreditCards.com is not sponsored by any bank or credit card issuer.

The journalists in the editorial department are separate from the company's business operations. The comments posted below are not provided, reviewed or approved by any company mentioned in our editorial content. Additionally, any companies mentioned in the content do not assume responsibility to ensure that all posts and/or questions are answered. Three most recent Credit account management stories: What do the numbers on my credit/debit card mean? - Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange What do the numbers on my credit/debit card mean? I have the following visa card from comdirect.de: I guess: Number A is my credit card number. The 4 groups don't have a meaning. Number B: I have no idea. Might be my security code? Number C is my security code. Number D is eventually a card code (GD is Giesecke & Devrient ) So my question is mainly about number B and C. up vote 38 down vote accepted Number A is my credit card number. The 4 groups don't have a meaning. They do, actually. First digit is 4 for VISA, 5 for Mastercard, 6 for Discover/Diners Club, 3 for American Express/Diners Club (those are shorter than 16).

Also, first 6 digits for Visa and Mastercard are code numbers for the issuing institution. By these 6 digits anyone can know which institution issued the card, and what type of card it is (debit/credit, premiere or not, etc). Number B: I have no idea. Might me my security code? This is a security measure. These 4 digits must match the first 4 digits of your card number (the first 4 digits of the issuer code. The last 2 are card types for the issuer, though some different issuers may share the first 4 as well and only differ by the last 2). Amex cards don't have this (I'm not sure about Discover). Number C is my security code. Yes, this is called CVC or CVV2. It is used for card-not-present transactions. The purpose of the code is to verify that a payment card is actually in the hands of the cardholder/merchant, for example when using the card over the internet or phone. On American Express cards this is 4 digits, and they appear on the front of the card.

Number D is eventually a card code (GD is Giesecke & Devrient) This is bank-specific, so I guess whatever you said...:-) On Discover, number B (the duplicated digits) appears on the back in the signature field. And it's the last four that are duplicated. In addition there's a number indicating which iteration of physical card this is, in case of reissuing a card (for loss or expiration of the old one). – Ben Voigt Apr 7 '14 at 17:00 5 A little more information, the first 6 numbers are called the BIN number. The remaining 10 numbers are generated by an algorithm by the financial institution. A type of credit card fraud can result if a fraudster learns the algorithm allowing them to generate all the card numbers in a batch. To combat this most companies limit the number of cards generated with a certain algorithm. – AxGryndr Apr 8 '14 at 5:58 up vote 16 down vote Number A is my credit card number. The 4 groups don't have a meaning. There is a lot more structure to this number than you might think.

There are digits (typically the first so many in the number) used for linking the card to the issuer for easier routing of payments, as each issuer has a globally unique issuer identification number (IIN). A unique identifier for your card with the issuer will be embedded in there somewhere too, much like an account number; in fact, this could be your account number, or it could be a separate card-specific number which the issuer stores in a database to link your card to your account (think tracking multiple cards on a single account; also see the comments). See this other answer for further details on the make-up of the card number. Another common property of the 16 digit number (for most cards) is use of the Luhn algorithm as a checksum, with the last digit computed from the other 15 as the check digit. This helps provide an early warning in credit card number entry forms and other locations to differentiate between a card number which: might be valid definitely is not valid A card number which fails the checksum can be automatically rejected without further ado as a mistype or a fake made-up sequence of random digits.

Of course, it isn't difficult with a little effort to invent a card number which successfully passes the check, meaning a successful checksum verification requires further confirmation of the card with the issuing authority to verify its authenticity and ensure sufficient funds are available. Nevertheless, all the major card issuers use this algorithm for initial verification purposes of a supplied card number. TL;DR: the long card number is not a sequence of random digits and certainly has structure to it. What the numbers on your credit card really mean - Business Insider What the numbers on your credit card really mean Jul. 29, 2014, 12:09 PM 72,115 print Thomas Cooper / Getty Images The string of digits presented on the front of a credit or debit card is enough to confuse even the smartest of shoppers. Yet, each number plays a crucial role in identifying the card provider, bank, and account information, as well as providing a security check. The only organization that can assign numbers to specific networks, such as Visa or MasterCard, and financial institutions, like Bank of America or JP Morgan Chase, is the nonprofit American National Standards Institute, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports .

When swiped, the Post-Gazette explains, a terminal uses the magnetic stripe of the card to first route the transaction through the proper card network, and then to the financial institution that is listed on the card so that the transaction can be authorized. Every card, no matter the network or bank, must be in agreement with the " Luhn System, " which determines the validity of a credit card. It's a mathematical algorithm where various combinations of numbers must add up to a number ending in 0. If the total of the combinations adds up to anything other than a multiple of 10, the card is invalid. Generally, the first number or two of a credit or debit signifies the card provider, followed by digits that determine everything from the currency being used, to the bank processing the transaction, to the individual's account number. But every network operates a little differently — here's the breakdown. American Express American Express uses the first two numbers of the card to identify itself . That two-digit number will be either 34 or 37. The third and fourth digit signify the type of card and the currency being used, according to Clearpoint Credit Counseling .

The next six digits, five through 11, are the number of the account, while the 12th through 14th digits represent the card number within said account. The final digit is a check digit, which is a random number used to protect against errors and fraud, Jason Oxman, CEO at the Electronic Transactions Association, told the Post-Gazette. Gallo Images / Stringer / Getty Images Visa Visa cards use a very similar formula, although there are a couple of differences. The first digit assigned to all Visa cards is four, and the second through sixth numbers are connected to the financial institution. Then, either the seventh through 12th numbers, or the seventh through 15th, are the account number, while that final 13th or 16th digit is the check number . MasterCard Touring Club Suisse/Schweiz/Svizzero TCS | Flickr MasterCards use the number five as the first in their 16-digit sequence. The second and third, second and fourth, or second and fifth then represent the bank number, Clearpoint Credit Solutions explains.

Following the third, fourth, or fifth digit, every number up through 15 is the account number while that final number, 16, is the check digit. Other cards All Discover cards start with the number six and are 16 digits in length, while petroleum cards start with the number seven and airline cards start with the number one. Credit Card Numbers 34-, 37- To the left is a (non-exhaustive) list of the some of the common card prefixes. Cards can be identified by their first few digits (try it out now, pull a few cards out of your wallet and look them up). (Here you can find a more complete list of Issue Identifier Numbers ) Check Digits Credit card numbers are often typed in, input, transferred and quoted. All of this transmission can cause errors, especially considering that humans are involved. Humans often make mistakes in transferal. To try and minimize this, credit card numbers contain a check digit. In a typical sixteen digit credit card number, the first fifteen digits are determined by the issuing bank, but the last digit, called the check digit, is mathematically determined based on all the other digits. You don’t select this last digit, it is deterministic.

The exact mathematic formula for its generation was invented by Hans Peter Luhn, an engineer at IBM in 1954. Originally patented, the algorithm is now in the public domain and a Worldwide standard ISO/IEC 7812-1 Obviously, with just a single check digit, not all errors can be detected (there’s a one in ten chance of a random number having the correct check digit), but the Luhn algorithm is clever in that it detects any single error (getting a single digit wrong), such as swapping the 9 with a 6 in the above example. It also detects almost all* pair-wise switching of two adjacent numbers. These errors are typical common errors people make when transcribing card numbers, so the check digit does a good thing. An added side benefit is that, as discussed above, there is only a one in ten chance that a randomly generated number has the correct check digit. This provides a small amount of protection from hackers or poorly educated crooks who might attempt to randomly generate and guess credit card numbers. * It will not detect the switching of 09 to 90 (or vice versa) The Luhn Algorithm The Luhn algorithm is based around the principle of modulo arithmetic and digital roots.

The Luhn algorithm uses modulo-10 mathematics. To calculate the check digit, multiply every even-position digit (when counted from the right) in the number by two. If the result is a two digit number, then add these digits together to make a single digit (this is called the digital root). To this total, we then add every odd-position digit. This will result in a total (in our example =67). The check-digit is what number needs to be added to this total to make the next multiple of 10. In our case, we’d need to add 3 to make 70. So the check-digit for this fictitious number is 3. 5457623898234113 (This is the same thing as asking what value the check-digit would need to be to make the sum mod 10 equal to zero. What number should be added to string to make a sum that, when divided by 10, gives no remainder.) Try it for yourself!

Type a number into the box below and click the button to test: Don't worry the numbers you type in are not being sent anywhere (if you are paranoid, you can view the source of the page to confirm). The script on the page is purely a client-side test to confirm the check digit is correct. This is common practice in the industry. Performing a client-side smoke-test to make sure things are well-formed before transmitting to the server is a good way to reduce load on your server. Other uses Adding a check digit is a very common practice to ensure that numbers are well-formed and have not fallen foul to a simply transcribing error, or unimaginative fraud. Here are a selection of other common numbers have have check digits baked in (not all using Luhns Algorithm; there are a few other common encoding systems in use): Automobile VIN numbers, Barcodes, ISBN numbers on books and magazines, Australian Tax Numbers, Hungarian Social Security Numbers, American bank routing codes … For those interested in learning more, there are a couple of more complicated check digit algorithms than Luhn. These are the Verhoeff algorithm (1969) and the Damm algorithm (2004).

These offer all the benefits of Luhn (detecting any single digit error), but also are able to detect any pair-wise adjacent transpositions of digits. There are also systems that are expanded to deal with errors in text and not just numbers. Parity The concept of check digits has been around for a long time. In the early days of computing, RAM was not as reliable as it is today. Computer designers wanted a way to detect hardware failures of memory. The solution they came up with was the concept of Parity. The eight bits that made up a byte were counted. The result was either an odd number of bits or an even number of bits. For every byte, one additional bit was generated. This was called the Parity Bit. The value of this parity bit was set based on the count of set bits and selected so that (typically) the number of bits set to the value 1 was even. This is called Even Parity. (It’s also just as possible to configure the system to maintain an odd number of bits. This is called Odd Parity.

Both systems are perfectly acceptable, you simple choose which version you are going to use, and stick with it!) Whenever a value was read, at a hardware level, the parity was recomputed. If the parity was wrong, an error could be raised. You can clearly see how toggling of any single bit (flipping its state) would cause the parity to fail. It would not tell you which bit had failed, just that one bit was wrong (it could even have been the parity bit that failed!) RAM chips have become more reliable these days, and most modern PCs do not support parity RAM. High-end servers, however, and mission critical computers (banks, power stations …) still have hardware parity protection. In fact, they take this a step further and implement something called ECC (Error-Correcting Code memory). As mentioned above, simple parity just tells you something is wrong (and only if one thing goes wrong), but does not tell you what. This is incredibly valuable to know, but it does not help you fix things. This is where ECC comes in … ECC memory works in a more complex way. It stripes information across a block of data.

It is able to detect all errors of one-bit, and most errors of two simultaneous bits, but more crucially, is able to correct any single-bit error and put the correct value back. It is more complex than simply parity and requires multiple parity bits per byte (making it more expensive). The math involved is quite complex, and outside the scope of this article, but relies on the concept of redundancy and storing information, mathematically, in more than one location. If you want to lean more, you can start here with information about Reed-Solomon Error Correction . To show the basic concept, imagine the following scenario below with one unknown bit of information. If we can trust all the other bits, and we known that we are using even parity, we are able to repair the missing bit of information (in tha case the missing bit would need to be a zero). RAID A final example of the use of this damage tolerance from the tech industry is the RAID storage technology. Spinning hard drives, being moving components, are typically the most fragile components in computer systems.

Whilst the world is moving solid state rapidly, you’re either very young, very lucky, or have lived a sheltered life if you have not had firsthand experience of some kind of hard-drive failure. Because data stored on hard drives is usually quite valuable, you want redundancy in storage. One solution is simply to ‘mirror’ the data on a parallel set of drives. This certainly works, but requires a doubling all the drives. An alternative, and slightly more cost effective approach, is to use the principle of parity and stripe the data, and the parity, over a collection of drives. The theory is that, whilst one drive might fail, the probability of two drives failing at the same time is small. Once one drive is detected as going bad, then you can rely on the redundancy in the system to carry on running whilst you replace the bad drive. Once the new drive is installed, it can back-fill the parity and data and provide protection again, all without any downtime. RAID originally stood for “Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks”, in reference to when hard drives were both expensive, and less reliable than they are today.

When designed, the theory was to build arrays of cheap drives, knowing in advance that they would probably fail regularly, but by using cheaper drives, redundancy and replacement it was more cost effective than buying very expensive drives with slightly better reliability. It was kind of like relying on a safety net. These days, with reliability and technology improvements, we still have safety nets, but they are just that, safety nets, not standard operating procedure. To reflect this, the industry has changed the definition of RAID to now mean “Redundant Array of Independent Disks” Check out other interesting blog articles here. You can find a complete list of all the articles here . Click here to receive email alerts on new articles. How Many Numbers Are On A Credit Card Business & Finance / How Many Numbers Are On A Credit Card How Many Numbers Are On A Credit Card Mar 09, 2012 It doesn’t matter what is the credit card you put into your wallet (or even the variety of cards if you use them for various purchases), all of them have physical characteristics among the U.S. consumers. The common features include the size and the type of a number in the front.

Credit cards have got a similar size to each other because due to an organization called the ISO or International Organization for Standardization, which is the international representatives’ standard-setting body and it produces global industrial and commercial standards. It establishes standard size for credit cards and determines every card to make sure if it standard is ideal for a use. The ISO remains the reason the credit cards are produced of PVC and has generally the same board, which is convenient for easier recognition and processing. It ensures your credit card remains standardized. So, how many numbers are on a credit card? Credit card number is the most important part of the information printed on credit card. Usually the number is 16 digits. The first digit indicates the type of card. For example, digit 3 is American Express, number 4 is VISA and 5 is MasterCard. This is also one of the first lines of defense against fraud - if in the randomly generated card number the first figure does not match the type of card, it will signal that the card is a fake. But of course, do not expect that the cardholders are not so prepared, so that information about the first digit is just to make a note.

You can also find how many numbers are on a credit card with the help of ID of the bank, for what a second, third and fourth digits are responsible for. Since the amount of a three-digit number is 999, it is clearly that it is much less than the sum of all banks, emitting credit for example in the VISA. Hence, the number of the bank is the result of a generation, so with some frequency this number can be the same as in different banks. However, the possibility that the bank's name will come to a randomly generated number is extremely small (one to one thousand), so those three cherished numbers can serve as a defense against not too advanced hackers. Sometimes the first six digits are called BIN, the so-called bank identifier. In this case 6 - 4 = 2, which means the part of the account number is the additional identification of the bank. The seventh and eighth digits of a credit card are the product or a program code in which the issuing bank has made the card. The following eleven digits after the first four constitute a credit card number and the last one is the result of processing credit card numbers by a certain encryption algorithm.

That particular program receives the eleven digits as an input, processes it by resistant cryptographic algorithms and displays the result. Since the result is a decimal digit, then due to the complexity of the program work the probability of noncoincidence remains one to ten (very high degree). Currently, there are programs (you can call them harmful) that generate credit card numbers. So, to rely on the protection of credit card only by its number is not a reasonable point - it could be relevant only in the seventies of last century. Therefore, even in the bank cards that do not contain computer chips, there is additional information that serves as security for the benefit of the card holder. Thus, the card must give a full owner’s name, expiration date, signature of the owner, and additional numbers. When buying through the Internet, these data is often required to confirm the safety of commercial transaction with a credit card. The entire information is enough to conduct transactions over the network. This also applies to debit card numbers, which are also used in the calculations and have the same protection. Incidentally, some debit cards have an overdraft service, when due to the shortage of funds in the account, debit card turns into a credit card.

So, for the calculations the deep-stored PIN is usually NOT required. All the credit cards also have a common scheme of numbering. A number of a credit card consists of a major industry identifier with a single digit (MII), an issuer identifier number with six digits (IIN), a single-digit checksum1 and an account number. The Major Identifier corresponds to the category of issuer. For example: "1" means airlines "2" - airlines with other designations "3" - entertainment and travel "4" - financial and banking etc. For the entertainment and travel category it is necessary to use American Express, while Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa are in the financial and banking category. The first 6 digits of the number of credit cards (with the MII digit) build the issuer identifier that denotes the card network and the number to which it belongs. The well-known identifiers include: 37xxxx and 34xxxx for American Express 4xxxxx for Visa 51xxxx-55xxxx for MasterCard 6011xx for Discover. The maximum length of the number of a credit card can be 19 digits, and the length of the account field can maximum be 12 digits.

Each issuer can have a trillion possible numbers of an account. The final digit on a credit card number is a check one, similar to a checksum. It confirms the initial digits of the number and prevents the attempts to invent card numbers. Additionally, it helps to avoid mistakes while recording the card number manually. Credit cards also have expiration and issue dates and extra codes, like security codes and issue numbers. Checksum - fixed-size datum computed from digital data to detect accidental errors in its storage or transmission. fraud - What's the impact of disclosing the front-face of a credit or debit card? - Information Security Stack Exchange What's the impact of disclosing the front-face of a credit or debit card? up vote 51 down vote favorite 9 There are quite a few cases where people are called out for disclosing the front-face of a credit or debit card (e.g. this tweet from Brian Krebs or this twitter account ). So I was wondering what the impact of this disclosure for the card holder is likely to be. From the front of a card, a fraudster could get the card PAN (16-digit number) start date/expiry date and cardholder name. Also for debit cards, the cardholders account number and sort code (that may vary by region).

So the question is, what's the likely impact of the disclosure of this information (i.e. what frauds could be committed). Some initial thoughts I had were :- Cardholder Not Present transactions shouldn't be possible as the CVV hasn't been disclosed The card wouldn't be clonable with just that information as there's other information needed for the magstripe. At least good for some social engineering – Luc Oct 23 '12 at 7:16 4 I've "heard somewhere" that all you need is the front digits - that not all merchants require CVV or even expiration date. But this really needs confirmation. – Henning Klevjer Oct 23 '12 at 7:17 6 Amex CVC (Card Verification Code) is on the front. – Jeff Ferland♦ Oct 23 '12 at 7:49 7 2 On a related note: twitter.com/NeedADebitCard will find you all the credit cards you need if you want to buy something.

:p – Fredy31 Oct 23 '12 at 12:23 From Wikipedia (unsourced): It is not mandatory for a merchant to require the security code for making a transaction, hence the card is still prone to fraud even if only its number is known to phishers. On most EFTPOS systems, it's possible to manually enter the card details. When a field is not present, the operator simply presses enter to skip, which is common with cards that don't carry a start date. On these systems, it is trivial to charge a card without the CVV. When I worked in retail, we would frequently do this when the chip on a card wasn't working and the CVV had rubbed off. In such cases, all that was needed was the card number and expiry date, with a signature on the receipt for verification. But wasn't it contrary to policy and rules to accept credit card information from a customer, in person, if they did not have the credit card in their possession?

As a cashier, I always knew there were cameras, even intermittently, so I would have been implicated as an accessory if I were to accept payment from a customer without a card, if the customer was physically present in the store. – Ellie Kesselman Oct 23 '12 at 8:49 4 @FeralOink They had the card, but the chip didn't work and the CVV was rubbed off. I was simply providing an example of where I'd personally seen cards used without CVV. It's possible to set up a fraudulent merchant account and steal cash in this way. It's also possible to find stores that don't require CVV, though it's rare these days. – Polynomial Oct 23 '12 at 9:05 Okay! That makes more sense. I misunderstood you, thinking that the physical card wasn't req'd for an in-person transaction. Thanks! – Ellie Kesselman Oct 23 '12 at 9:07 3 @Polynomial +1. I worked in retail for 5 years and there was many a time I would manually just enter the credit card number/expiration date, but never the CVV.

Some systems (like the one I worked at) don't even have a place to put the CVV in. – ROFLwTIME Oct 23 '12 at 12:45 Aside from the already mentioned attacks involving unauthorized usage of a credit card, the credit card information can also be used for social engineering and identity theft. As a somewhat current example, see how Mat Honan got hacked last summer : In his case, Apple only required the last digits for his credit card (which his attacker obtained from Amazon) in order to give up the account. It stands to reason that other vendors may be duped if an attacker were to provide a full credit card number including expiration dates. 3 +1 While the financial information leak may be more or less obvious, there are far more ways to use a credit card than just buying stuff, especially when so many vendors use the last 4 digits as a backup customer ID. – Phil Oct 23 '12 at 13:34 up vote 12 down vote You would need CVV and expiration date for verification, although expiration date is on the front face of a card.

Also required is the billing address, or at a minimum, the zip code of the billing address, neither of which are on the front or back of the card. However, this depends on whether you're buying something retail, in person versus online. If you are working in retail where the card details can be manually entered, which is definitely an option unless there are policies against it, or maybe a POS machine that won't allow it (although that hasn't been my experience, as magnetic strips get demagnetized by women's magnetic purse fasteners A LOT), there would be the potential for fraud. There would be no need for billing zip code or billing address. It would require the complicity of the cashier as well as the customer though. This is why: Even though the card info can be entered manually, it is NEVER acceptable to take the information from a person who hands you a piece of paper with their card details. On the phone, or online, you will need name, card number, expiration date, CVV (4 digit for AmEx, 3 digit for Visa/MC) and billing address (and shipping address) for a physical delivery.

If you are ordering something that doesn't need to be delivered, and remember, you have now restricted your options for illegal purchases significantly, you would still need billing zip code, even though you wouldn't need address etc. What can you buy online or on the phone, with name, card number, CVV and zip code? Well, iTunes cap's monthly purchases at $5,000 per month as a default. So you could buy a lot of iTunes music, or premium membership to expensive porn sites, or lots of cloud storage, or online games. But even if you were to do any of that, you would still need to use the services from somewhere that was associated with an IP address. I doubt that it is practical to play games via Tor, same is true for streaming porn, though I am not certain. And if you bought iTunes songs, Apple would need to know enough identifying information about you that it wouldn't be safe. You couldn't buy stuff via PayPal or Amazon, as you'd need to take physical delivery of the items, which would be incriminating, whether to you or someone else who acted for you. And all of this would be moot without the billing zip code, which is not on the front of the card.

I don't have any sources, just experience working at a casino, on a huge 500 person ship, for a year. And I purchase lots of clothes and things online. I'll look for something to cite, but it tends to be a result of widely observed electronic payment practices rather than technological impossibility. EDIT: See the answers to this question What is the use of stolen credit card details? The answers are based on access to mass quantities of cards, or willingness to allow someone to get in trouble for taking delivery of your purchases (the answer referred to that as "a rube"), or rather elaborate eBay card swapping schemes. It wasn't straightforward. (Many are in pursuit of credit card information, but I often wonder what most people can actually do with it, other than cause inconvenience and fear. ZeuS or SpyEye is the exception, as it appears disturbingly versatile). up vote 7 down vote All that is required to run a credit card transactions is the PAN (Primary Account Number), which is basically the 16 digits found on the front of a card. That's all that really happens when a card is swiped - the machine reads the PAN that is encoded onto the card's magnetic strip.

Therefore - if someone has the front face of your card, your account is compromised. Card Present, matching ID card/signature, CVV (security code), AVS (address verification), and others are added layers of security that a merchant might ask you for, especially in an risky environment such as online shopping. But, these are by no means required. You could get away running a transaction with just the 16 digits, though most merchants won't allow that because of the risk of fraud and charge backs. What is CVV? [ Close Window ] Where is the CVV Number? This number is printed on your MasterCard & Visa cards in the signature area of the back of the card. (it is the last 3 digits AFTER the credit card number in the signature area of the card). You can find your four-digit card verification number on the front of your American Express credit card above the credit card number on either the right or the left side of your credit card. What is the CVV Number? CARD VERIFICATION VALUE CODE (CVV) CVV is a new authentication procedure established by credit card companies to further efforts towards reducing fraud for internet transactions.

It consists of requiring a card holder to enter the CVV number in at transaction time to verify that the card is on hand.The CVV code is a security feature for "card not present" transactions (e.g., Internet transactions), and now appears on most (but not all) major credit and debit cards. This new feature is a three- or four-digit code which provides a cryptographic check of the information embossed on the card. Therefore, the CVV code is not part of the card number itself. The CVV code helps ascertain that the customer placing the order actually possesses the credit/debit card and that the card account is legitimate. Each credit card company has its own name for the CVV code, but it functions the same for all major card types. (VISA refers to the code as CVV2, MasterCard calls it CVC2, and American Express calls it CID.) The back panel of most Visa/MasterCard cards contain the full 16-digit account number, followed by the CVV/CVC code. Some banks, though, only show the last four digits of the account number followed by the code.

To aid in the prevention of fraudulent credit card use, we now require the 3 or 4 digit code on the back of your credit card. When you submit your credit card information your data is protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology certified by a digital certificate. Barclays You are here: Personal Banking > Barclays Personalised Card Designer Welcome to the Barclays Personalised Card Designer This free service is available to all Barclays Personal current account customers who have a debit card. For your benefit and protection, you should read and ensure you understand our terms and conditions before proceeding. Please note that your personalised card will have a new card number. Simply enter the first 6 digits from the long 16 digit number that appears on the front of the debit card you wish to design. This web site uses cookies which are strictly necessary and enable you to use its features. They cannot be disabled. For further information on cookies please visit . Barclays Bank PLC. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 122702).

Barclays Bank PLC subscribes to the Lending Code which is monitored and enforced by the Lending Standards Board and is licensed and regulated by the Office of Fair Trading for the provision of credit products to consumers and related services. Further details can be found at . Barclays Insurance Services Company Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register number: 312078). Barclays Bank PLC. Registered in England. Registered no. 1026167. Barclays Insurance Services Company Limited. Registered in England. Registered no. 973765. Registered office for both: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. ‘The Woolwich’ and ‘Woolwich’ are trademarks and trading names of Barclays Bank PLC. Barclays Business is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC. Proud sponsors of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Personalised Card FAQs | Barclays Close Updated cookies policy - you'll see this message only once. Barclays uses cookies on this website. They help us to know a little bit about you and how you use our website, which improves the browsing experience and marketing - both for you and for others.

They are stored locally on your computer or mobile device. To accept cookies continue browsing as normal. Or go to the cookies policy for more information and preferences. This page is not suitable for viewing using your current internet browser. Please update your browser to a more up to date version before proceeding. See how to update your browser . Personalised Card FAQs Your FAQs for Personalised Cards About the Barclays Personalised Card service What is the Barclays Personalised Card service? The Barclays Personalised Card service allows you to personalise your debit card with an image of your choice. You may use an image from our image gallery, or upload one of your own images. Eligibility Can I personalise any Barclays debit card? You can only personalise a debit card issued on a Barclays Personal current account. Please check the first 6 digits of the long number appearing on your card. If they match the numbers below, you can personalise your card: 4659 21 Can I personalise my business debit card? Unfortunately, no. The service is currently only available on Personal debit cards. Can I personalise my Barclaycard? Unfortunately, no. The service is currently only available on Personal debit cards. Can I personalise my cash card? Unfortunately, no.

The service is currently only available on Personal debit cards. Will this change how my card works, for example contactless? No, your card will work in exactly the same way as it does today. How do I know if I have a contactless card? All contactless cards display the contactless symbol on the front and back, and the words ‘Contactless enabled’ on the back. Can I open an account and get a personalised card straightaway? You will need to open an account and await receipt of a standard debit card before you can use the service, as you'll need your card number to order your personalised card. Using the Barclays Personalised Card service How do I personalise my card? Simply click on the link to the card designer and follow the steps to personalise your card. You will be given the choice of using an image from our online gallery, or uploading an image of your own. What format does my image need to be in and is there any size restriction? You can upload images in any of the following formats: JPEG (.jpg), PNG, GIF, Bitmap (.bmp) or TIFF.

We recommend a minimum image size of 420 x 420 pixels, and a maximum file size of 10MB (megabytes). Remember, if you use a low resolution photo or zoom in too much, the image on your card may look fuzzy when it is printed. Can I put any image on my card, for example a celebrity? Unfortunately, no. There are some types of image that we cannot accept. Please refer to our image guidelines for more details. Can I upload an image of my family or friends? Yes, provided you have their permission, or in the case of someone under 16 years of age, the permission of their parent or guardian. Will my card number change? Yes, your card number will change. If you have registered your card on any internet shopping sites, such as Amazon, iTunes or Google Play, you may need to update the details. Likewise, if you have any recurring payments set up on your card, you will need to contact the recipient and advise them of the change. I have a joint account, will both cards be replaced if I personalise my card? No, cards are personalised individually and only your card will be personalised.

The other account holder may continue with a standard card, or decide to personalise their card with an image of their choice. I have more than one Barclays current account, will all of my debit cards be replaced if I personalise my card? No, cards are personalised individually and we will only personalise the card that you tell us about when using the card designer. You can choose to personalise any other eligible debit cards you hold with us with the same image or a different image of your choice. Can I see what my card will look like before I make my application? Yes, you will be given the opportunity to see the final look of your card on screen. You can then choose to proceed, or if you wish to make changes, you can go back and alter the image, or select a completely new image. What happens after I have submitted my application? We will send you an email within 24 hours of making your application. This will either confirm your order, or will let you know if your image has not met our image guidelines and you will be invited to try again. We will use the email address that you supply as part of the application process. What happens if you don’t accept the image I have requested?

We will send you an email within 24 hours of making your application letting you know if your image has not met our image guidelines. You will be invited to try again. How much does it cost? There is no charge at present for the issue of a personalised card. We also reserve the right to charge an appropriate fee if you change the image on your personalised card more than 3 times in any rolling 12 month period. We will notify you beforehand should we decide to introduce a charge. When will I receive my new personalised card? Normally, you will receive your new personalised card within 5 working days of receiving the email confirming your order. Can I use my existing card while I am waiting for my new card to arrive? Yes, you can continue to use your existing card as normal while you are waiting for your new card to arrive. What do I do with my old card once I have received my new card? Please destroy the old card by cutting it through the chip. How will you use the email address that I supply during the application? We will only use the email address you supply as part of the application process for the purpose of confirming your order, or advising you if the image you uploaded has not met our image guidelines.

If your email address is already used for any other purpose by Barclays, that arrangement will not change. What if I change my contact details? Please let us know by contacting your nearest branch or by calling the Telephone Banking number on the back of your card. How can I change the image on my card if I change my mind? You can change the image on your card whenever you wish. Simply click on the link to the card designer and follow the steps to personalise your card. (See also the FAQ 'How much does it cost?' above.) I've decided I don’t want a personalised card anymore. How can I get a non-personalised one? You can decide to revert to a standard card at any time. Simply call the Telephone Banking number on the back of your card. We will then issue you a new standard card. I ordered a new card yesterday as my existing card had been lost. Can I choose an image to go on my new card today? As we will already have started the process to replace your card, you will not be able to change or add an image until you have received your new card. What happens if I change my account?

If your new account supports the Barclays Personalised Card service, your existing personalised card will continue to be valid. If your new account does not support the Barclays Personalised Card service, we will send you a new standard card at no cost to you. What do I do if my card is lost, stolen or damaged? Call us immediately on 08700 104 503* (outside the UK dial +44 1928 584 421). We’ll cancel your card and send you a replacement with your current image at no cost to you. Will my card have the same image when it is replaced on expiry? Yes, whenever we re-issue a personalised card to you it will bear the existing image that you previously selected for your card. Can I change the image on my card before it expires? You can change the image on your card whenever you wish. Simply click on the link to the card designer and follow the steps to personalise your card. (See also the FAQ 'How much does it cost?' above.) Where can I go if I need further help? Please call in at your nearest branch or use the Telephone Banking number that appears on the back of your card.

* To maintain a quality service, we may monitor or record phone calls. Call charges

Question: How many digits are on the “long number” seen on the front of a credit or debit card?
Answer: 16